Railway snow-flanger



E. R. PACKER. BMLWAY SNOW FLANGER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1920.

1,394; 12, Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET x.

E. R. PACKER. RAILWAY SNOW FLANGER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. I920.

1,394,1 1 2. Patented QGt. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EBEN RAY PACKER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

UNITED STATES RAILWAY SN OW-FLAN GER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Original application filed June 10, 1919, Serial No. 303,143. Divided and this application fiIedJanuary 12, 1920. Serial No. 350,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBEN RAY PAOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway Snow- Flangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of snow removing devices for use with railway cars orlocomotives and consists particularly in improvements in the constructing of snow flangers of the type now generally in use and illustrated in prior patents to me Nos. 1,057,084. of Mar. 25, 1913 and 1,162,096 of Nov. 30, 1918.

The present invention is designed particularly and substantial construction which will operate in an improved manner and will possess features of advantage over flanger constructions as heretofore proposed. An important and valuable feature of my present improvements consists in the novel manner of supporting the flangers upon the trucks or upon the body of the vehicle in a manner to give rigid and substantial support thereto and further in an arrangement whereby upon encountering excessive obstructions, such as for instance, boulders which might be carried upon the road bed by snow slides, the flangers shall be so supported that the excessive stresses shall not be transmitted to the cylinders or operating parts thereof. As a result the damage from such source will be relatively inconsequential and a further advantage accompanying this improved arrangement is that it is particularly well adapted for use in the spreading of ballast or sand upon the road bed.

The present application is a division of copendlng application Serial No. 303,143 filed June 10, 1919. v

' The foregoing and other features and advantages of my present invention will be readily understood by reference to the ac .companylng drawing wherein like reference characters area'pplied to the corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating 'adesirable embodiment of the features of my invention and Fi 2 isa view thereof in front elevation. 3 is a plan view thereof.

with a view to provide an improved In the specific application of the features of my lnvention as here disclosed an arrangement is illustrated wherein flanger plates lf are operatively related to each of the rai s and are of a form to extend across and remove the snow from the entire space between the rails. As will be understood, the form as shown is adapted particularlv for single track use and is operative to deflect the snow to each side of the track. For supporting the flanger plat-es f against the thrust to which they are subjected in operatlon preferably employ the general type of gulding support as illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,057,08d heretofore referred to. Accordingly I have shown the members for supporting the Hangers, consisting of oppositely arranged main supporting plates 2, 2 which are vertically positioned and of suitable form to be carried by the car truck by being directly attached thereto.

The supporting members or plates 2, 2 as here shown are oppositely positioned and formed to be attached to the journal boxes for the forward wheels of the truck and are provided each with a vertical or substantially vertical slot 7. The slots 7 of the respective supporting plates are oppositely p0- sitioned and adapted to act as guide slots to control the vertical movement of the flanger elements f in the manner now to be described.

Fitting within the slots 7, 7 there is arranged a cross bar 8 which is a carrier member for the respective flangers or flanger plates 7. The flangers f are formed of suitable contour with notches 10 formed in their lower edges to provide clearance for the tops of the rail heads and thereby permit the lower edge of the flanger upon opposite sides thereof to extend below the rail heads. The flangers are also supported at a suitable angle to properly deflect the snow and as shown may desirably be secured directly to the carrier bar. For the latter purpose I the extremities 11, 11 of the bar 8 may be bent rearwardly at a suitable angle and the outer ends of the flanger plates 7 may be bolted or otherwise secured thereto. At their inner ends the flanger plates f are se cured to the carrier bar 8 by means of suitable brackets 13, 13 secured to the respective members. To co-act in properly guiding the movement of the carrier bar 8 suitable guide bars 14 are attached to the carrier bar 8 immediately adjacent to the supporting plates 2 and positioned to engage the outer faces thereof to prevent lateral movement of the carrier bar 8 and the flanger sup ported thereby. Rigidly secured to thesupporting plates 2 there is provided a supporting cross bar 15 having its end portions rearwardly extended and bolted to the supporting olates 2, 2 which are thus connected there y. Asindicated the cross bar 15 is arranged on a plane below that of the carrier bar 8 so that the latter in its lowermost position will bear uponthe rearwardly directed end portions 16, 16 of the supporting bar 15. By reason of this relation of the carrier bar 8 and cross bar 15 the latter acts as a lower stop or bearing support for the carrier bar 8 and the flangers attached thereto and is so positioned as to determine the proper spacing of the dangers from the rails when the latter assume their lowered or operating position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. ilhe slots 7, 7 are suitably elongated vertically to permit of the carrier bar 8 moving upwardly therein sufficiently to elevate the fiangers 7" so as to pass over obstructions such as crosses and switches with adequate of the operator and operative to exert a lifting force to raise the flangers or upon reversal to be operative to depress the flangers in the lowered or operating position. To

this end suitablefluid pressure motors M, M

are supported above the opposite ends of the carrier bar 8 and have movable members operatively connected therewith.

In a manner readily understood the movable member of the motorM which maybe the usual piston22operatingwithin a cylinder 20, is actuated by the fluid pressure under control of a suitable valve for introducing ,the operating'fiuiclabove or below the piston through suitable ports soas to raise or lower the fiangers connected there- 'With. I 'llhe operating fluidcas will be under stood is admitted within. and exhausted from the motor cylinder through suitable ports and conduits not necessary to :be here shown but which may conform generally to the arrangement as described in my aforesaid Patent No. 1,163,096.

, l fla gl l't anqe with mybresen v ntie the stationary or immovable member ofthe motor M, Or -the cylinder in the embodilimiting sense. p v Hav ng described my invention I claim :I

face of the opposite longitudinal frame beamsoal of the car body.

In the arrangement as described it will be noted that thesupporting means or plates for the flanger elements 7 are mounted directly upon the wheel carriage or truck and that the operating motors therefor are mounted and carried upon the car body. As illustrated the. piston rods 22 extend upwardly from the cylinders and are formed with connecting yolr'es24 which receive and support the lifting bar 55 and thelatter in turn is suitably connected to the carrier bar 8 whereby when the lifting bar is raised by the pistons the flanger will be correspondingly elevated. The connections between the lifting bar 55 and the carrier bar 8 desirably comprise yokemembers 57, 57 connected to the bar 55andat theirlowcr ends being pivotally connected at 58 with depending links 59; the latter being connected. at their lower ends directlyto the carrier bar 8. by means of pivot pins 60. The supporting connections thus afforded are such as to permit of lateral shifting in the relation of the fiangers to the supporting cylinders as will occur where the flangers are supported upon the trucksand the lifting cylinders upon the car'body. V This corelation of the respective parts is desirable in properly supporting the fiangers in looa tions where thecylinders may not conveniently be carried upon theforward bumper beam uponthe car body. y

As will be appreciated an important .advantage resulting from myimproved construction is that the flangers are sosupported that in the event of coming into contactlwith obstructions such as large boulders the damage would be limited *to the hanger.

and its-immediate support and would not be transmitted .to .the liftingmeans .orcylinders and the supports .of the latter. r While I have describedand shown an approved embodiment of my invention it will be readily understood that :the same .is subj ect to various modifications without departing from the scope .of the .inventionasdefined in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that all matter lhereingshall bezinterpr'eted as illustrative and not in a 1. a.de,vice of the character described, the combination'of a railway vehiole, supporting membersattached thereto Jatthe op- "posite sides thereof and prov-idedswith, guide Ways, a carrier bar transverselyarranged and fitted to .the guide Ways and capable of elevating and depressing movement ;therein,

deflecting means supported upon the carrier bar to be movable therewith and operating means therefor comprising a motor positioned thereabove and having a cylinder and piston member, one of said members being rigidly supported and the other of said motor members being movable with relation thereto in a vertical direction, a transversely arranged lifting rod positioned above the motor and carried by the movable member thereof and connections from said rod to the elevating bar whereby the latter is operated, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the carriage truck and body of a railway vehicle carried thereby, of oppositely positioned supporting members attached to the truck and provided with guide ways, a carrier bar fitted within the guide ways and capable of vertical movement therein, deflecting means carried by the carrier bar, operating means for the deflecting means comprising a motor suitably supported upon the vehicle body, a transversely arranged lifting rod carried by the motor and connections from said lifting rod to the carrier bar and said connections embodying pivotal means to permit of lateral shifting in the relation of the deflecting means to the operating means, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with the carriage truck and body of a railway vehicle, oppositely arranged supporting members carried thereby and formed with suitable guide ways, a carrier bar fitted to the guide ways capable of movement therein toward and from the rails, deflecting means attached to the carrier bar and operating means for the deflecting means comprising motors mounted upon the vehicle body at opposite sides thereof and having stationary and movable members, a transverse lifting rod carried by the motor movable members and depending connections from the lifting rod to the carrier bar, said connections being flexible in a transverse direction to permit of lateral shifting in the relation of the deflecting means to the car body, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a railway carriage truck and body supported thereon, of oppositely positioned supporting members carried by the truck and formed with vertical guide ways, a carrier bar fitted to the guide ways and capable of movement therein toward and from the rails, deflecting members attached to the carrier bar and operating means therefor comprising motors having stationary cylinder members secured to the vehicle body at opposite sides thereof and movable piston members coacting therewithsaid motors being adapted to be actuated by fluid pressure both for elevating and depressing the deflecting members and connections from the motor movable members to the carrier bar comprising a transversely arranged lifting rod carried by the motor movable members and positioned thereabove and connecting links from said lifting rod to the carrier bar arranged at the opposite sides thereof and said connecting links being articulated to permit of lateral shifting in the relation of the carrier bar to the motors, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EBEN RAY PAOKER. 

